Work At Home Business Options

Archive for October, 2010

When it comes to conducting your business while out on the road it is important to not drive and make business phone calls…I don’t know about you, but I get really irked when I see drivers using their cell phones.

In a lot of cities and states these days it is even illegal to drive and make cell phone calls and/or texting and personally, I feel its a great law!

If you must make a phone call while out on the road, find a safe place to pull over and make your phone call. If you don’t care about your own safety, please care about ours. Distracted phone/texting drivers are causing way too many accidents out on our roads and it is time for it to stop.

Your business or personal phone call can wait and if not….pull over and make your call safely.

How do you feel about others who drive and make phone calls? Are you guilty of this? I can personally say that I am not!

Shelly

Save Money By Making Your Own Condiment and Sauces

One of the most expensive things that add up quickly on your weekly grocery bill can be all of those prepared condiments and sauces that you buy. However…you can put a big dent into your grocery bill by making and serving your own condiment and sauces to your family.

All of the recipes here in this article are simple to prepare and you can easily find the ingredients at your local grocery store. You will always want to start out with the freshest ingredients that you can find. Your work service should be clean and the containers that you store your condiments and sauces in should be clean and sterilized.

Homemade Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup Bleu Cheese, crumbled

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the low-fat yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, minced garlic and black pepper. Using a wire whisk, mix the ingredients until smooth. Using a spoon, stir in the crumbled Blue Cheese until all ingredients are well combined. This dressing will keep for 3-4 days refrigerated. Recipe makes 1 1/4 to 1 1/3 cups.

Homemade Barbeque Sauce

1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
2 tablespoons minced onions
1 tablespoon brown sugar

In a large saucepan, combine the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, water and vinegar. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Stir in granulated sugar, salt, black pepper, celery salt, minced onions and brown sugar. Simmer the sauce over low heat for 5 minutes. You can use it immediately on your favorite meats or cool and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Delicious Hot Fudge Chocolate Sauce

10 ounces marshmallow creme
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat marshmallows and evaporated milk in a double boiler until marshmallows melt, stirring constantly. Add the chocolate squares and stir until sauce is smooth. Blend in the salt and vanilla extract. Serve hot fudge sauce over ice cream.

Shelly Hill is a mother and grandmother living in Pennsylvania who enjoys cooking and baking. You can visit Shelly’s online cooking and recipe blog at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com for free menu ideas, cooking tips and free recipes.

I will admit…when it came to keeping my home office clean and organized, I was really terrible at it. For weeks on end things would pile up on my desk, on my file cabinet and even the floor around my desk. After I would get sick of not finding what I was looking for, I would make the time to clean it up…only to find it messed up again within a few weeks.

All of that changed for me 9 months ago when I finally woke up and realized that time was money and that I wasted way too much time looking for things I could never find. I vowed that day to clean up and organize my office and to keep it that way. Since that time…I am happy to report that my home office has never looked better!

At the time I didn’t have a lot of money to blow on office organizing supplies so I headed out to my local dollar store and then to an office supply discount center and spent a wise $65.00 to get plastic bins, file folders, clips, plastic baskets, bookends, a wall shelf and a few other things. I was really proud of myself that day because I toted home a lot of great things to get it organized.

I had my hubby install a wall shelf so that I could get books up and on the shelf. I used all of my plastic bins and baskets to organize mail, papers, desk supplies, etc. I decided to go with plastic because when they get dirty I can empty them and toss them onto the top rack of my dishwasher for easy cleaning. I got a few large wicker baskets to sit onto the floor to organize even more books, business manuals, business magazines, etc. and now they are all nicely kept in my baskets.

My new daily business rule: At the end of my business day, I allow 15 minutes for me to clean up the things I used that day before I leave my home office for the end of my work day. I must say…when I walk into my office every morning, I feel more energized and ready to begin my day since it is now always cleaned and organized. Gone are the days and weekends that I used to spend cleaning it.

The best thing to come out of this is that I can now quickly find a clients file, a document, etc. within minutes…time is money…it really is!

So…is your home office a disorganized mess or very clean and organized? Do you have any home office organization tips to share with our blog readers?

Shelly

I was recently contacted by a Team Manager with one of the Direct Sales Companies and she asked me if it was okay to talk about religion and to pray with her team members at her local team meetings. After she asked this question, I had to really think about what my answer would be.

I thought I would share my thoughts about this with all of our blog readers.

Religion is a very personal choice for everyone and some religions can be very different than your own (if you are a religious person). With that in mind…discussion religion or having prayer at your team meetings can indeed offend some of your team members.

If you are considering incorporating religion and/or prayer into your team meetings, I feel it is best to ask your team members for their opinion first. If they are not going to be offended by it…then it’s a personal choice for you to include it. However, if one member says they would be offended by it…then I really think you should exclude it.

I have been in Direct Sales for over 20+ years and have been a team manager for 90% of that time. I never brought religion or prayer into my team meetings for the reasons stated above. I believe business should be kept separate…unless you are a consultant with a company that sells Christian Products.

If you feel the need to pray with your team…then do it AFTER your team meeting is over and make sure you allow enough time for fellow team members to leave before you start the religious talk or prayers.

Well, that is my answer on the subject. What is your opinion?

Shelly

When you use a heating pad at home for whatever health ailment that you are treating, it is important to remember some safety guidelines so that you or others don’t get hurt.

As someone who suffers from chronic pain and who uses a heating pad at home often, I thought I would share some important safety tips with you today.

1. When you purchase a new heating pad, it is important to read the owner’s manual…not all heating pads are created equal. Some brands are better than others so do your homework before purchasing one & then read the manual before operating it.

2. Personally, I like the heating pads that have a built-in automatic shut-off. Mine turns itself off every 2 hours. I feel this is safer to use than one that doesn’t have an automatic shut-off because if I forget to turn it off, it will turn itself off.

3. Never use a heating pad on small children, the elderly or the very sick without permission of a Physician. Heating pads can make some conditions worse. Case in point – Never use them if you are running a fever because the heating pad will interfere with your temperature breaking.

4. Inspect your heating pad often for defects. Over time your electrical cord can fray, twist up, break off, etc. If in doubt, replace your heating pad…never do self-repairs if it is broken.

5. Keep your heating pad clean and germ-free. Most heating pads come with removable washable covers. Wash your cover often to keep it clean so that germs don’t hide inside it.

6. Never fall asleep with your heating pad on…ever! If you do…you risk the chance of getting burnt or it catching on fire.

7. Don’t use a heating pad near water….including on waterbeds!

If ever in doubt on how to correctly use a heating pad, ask your doctor or home nurse for tips…it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Happy Healing,
Shelly

During the weekends I enjoy making homemade soft pretzels for my family and below is the recipe that I like to use along with some Pretzel Making Tips.

1. You can buy kosher coarse salt at most grocery stores.
2. Follow the recipe closely and in the order that the steps are given.
3. If you want to freeze them after baking, cut the baking time down by 2-3 minutes. Let them completely cool, then wrap for freezing. To reheat them from the freezer, microwave on 50% power for 1 minute.

Soft Pretzels Recipe

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 packages dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
7-8 cups all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water and yeast; stir until yeast is dissolved. Stir in the granulated sugar, salt, butter, egg and 3 cups of flour. Beat mixture at medium speed until all ingredients are combined and smooth. Add remaining flour and mix until dough is still. Place dough mixture in refrigerate for 4 hours.

Remove dough and divide in half. Return the other half back to refrigerator until you have the other half worked. Place dough on a lightly floured dough board and divide into 15 equal pieces, form each piece into a log shape that measures 18″ long. Shape into a pretzel form.

Place onto a greased cookie sheet or a baking sheet lined with a nonstick silicone baking mat. Brush each pretzel generously with egg white. Sprinkle each one with coarse salt. Let them sit on baking sheet to rise for 5 minutes. Place baking sheets into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown.

~ Shelly Hill ~

You can find additional FREE recipes over on my foodie & cooking blog called Shakin ‘N Bakin in the Kitchen with Shelly.